In the early hours of a February morning in Memphis, Tennessee, a gathering to watch the Super Bowl descended into a tragedy that would claim the life of Issacca Powell. On February 4, 2019, the 28-year-old father of seven was shot and killed in a violent outburst that stunned the quiet Whitehaven neighborhood. Another woman was critically injured in the incident but survived.
The events leading to the fatal shooting began at a Super Bowl party the previous evening.
An argument erupted when the wife of Calvin Wilkins, Powell's step-brother, made a plate of food for someone at the party. This seemingly small act enraged Wilkins, leading to a heated confrontation. The dispute escalated throughout the night and into the early morning, culminating in gunfire.
Police responded to a call about a shooting on Favell Drive at approximately 2:30 a.m. Upon arrival, they discovered Powell and a female victim with gunshot wounds. Powell was pronounced dead at the scene, while the woman was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
The investigation into the double shooting quickly identified Calvin Wilkins as the primary suspect. Evidence gathered by law enforcement painted a grim picture of the final moments of the victims' lives. Voicemails discovered on Wilkins' wife's phone reportedly captured the desperate pleas of Powell and the female victim just before the shots were fired. Wilkins was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the death of his step-brother, as well as other charges related to the shooting. The case then moved to the courts, leaving a family torn apart by an act of sudden and extreme violence.
